diff --git a/python/extractor/semmle/python/passes/flow.py b/python/extractor/semmle/python/passes/flow.py
index a9148aefd0f7..9f434fe0c4c8 100755
--- a/python/extractor/semmle/python/passes/flow.py
+++ b/python/extractor/semmle/python/passes/flow.py
@@ -909,14 +909,22 @@ def _walk_slice(self, node, predecessors):
     def _walk_break(self, node, predecessors):
         #A break statement counts as an exit to the enclosing loop statement
         predecessors = self.add_successor(predecessors, node)
-        self.scope.breaking_stack.add(predecessors)
+        # In well formed code, there should always be an element in the breaking stack, but because
+        # our parser accepts code where `break` appears outside of a loop, we must check for this
+        # case.
+        if self.scope.breaking_stack:
+            self.scope.breaking_stack.add(predecessors)
         #Provide no predecessors to following statement
         return EMPTY
 
     def _walk_continue(self, node, predecessors):
         #A continue statement counts as an exit to the following orelse
         predecessors = self.add_successor(predecessors, node)
-        self.scope.continuing_stack.add(predecessors)
+        # In well formed code, there should always be an element in the continuing stack, but
+        # because our parser accepts code where `continue` appears outside of a loop, we must check
+        # for this case.
+        if self.scope.continuing_stack:
+            self.scope.continuing_stack.add(predecessors)
         #Provide no predecessors to following statement
         return EMPTY
 
diff --git a/python/ql/lib/change-notes/2025-02-06-robustly-handle-loop-constructs.md b/python/ql/lib/change-notes/2025-02-06-robustly-handle-loop-constructs.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..45bbb2e7cc4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/ql/lib/change-notes/2025-02-06-robustly-handle-loop-constructs.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+category: fix
+---
+
+- Using the `break` and `continue` keywords outside of a loop, which is a syntax error but is accepted by our parser, would cause the control-flow construction to fail. This is now no longer the case.
diff --git a/python/ql/test/extractor-tests/syntax_error/without_loop.py b/python/ql/test/extractor-tests/syntax_error/without_loop.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..84a0ea15932c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/ql/test/extractor-tests/syntax_error/without_loop.py
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# The following constructs are syntax errors in Python, as they are not inside a loop.
+# However, our parser does not consider this code to be syntactically incorrect.
+# Thus, this test is really observing that allowing these constructs does not break any other parts
+# of the extractor.
+
+if True:
+    break
+
+if True:
+    continue